let’s get one thing clear here, for decades graphic design as a tool has been used for very valid forms of protest. things like posters, zines and signs have acted as extremely useful ways to spread awareness and spark change. what i am talking about here is how it has shifted over the years with the influx of social media. an annually occurring example would be the month of june aka pride month. promptly on june 1st we see businesses change their logos, and put up posters with the rainbow flag and then just as quick, 12am on july 1st all the rainbows vanish. this would be less of a problem if they were actively supporting the queer community all year round, or even if they offered real support during the month of june. but showing the flag is usually where the support stops. which says, to me, that they don't actually care it's only for public appearances, because all the other companies are doing it, and not doing it will lose them the business of queer people*. another perfect example really stepped into the spotlight recently. did you post a black square on your instagram june 2 2020? share an infographic or two on your story? any follow up? the summer of 2020 really showed how people/brands will do the bare minimum to support a cause, so long as it's trendy, while doing the least amount of effort and not making any actual change whatsoever. those easy to share infographics quickly lost a lot of impact when the information kept being watered down by making it fit into a cute and trendy aesthetic to the point where the design completely overpowered the message. it’s interesting to me that the venn diagram of people/brands who posted the bare minimum to support blm for like a month and the people/brands who actively do daily harm to marginalized communities, is basically a circle. graphic design isn’t going to be what saves the world, it is simply a tool used by those who will save it. and when used by those people it is very effective, when used by others all it does is bury the good stuff.

*because they think of queer people as trend setters.

The concept for the tote bag is based on brands using design for performative activism and monetary gain.
I sewed the tote bag myself from raw canvas and I was able to print my manifesto on canvas for the tag.